UPDATED: 1 arrested in botched kidnapping of Montco baby (video)

Upper Merion police escort Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, out of the Judge Gallagher's District court in Bridgeport Friday following his arraignment in connection with the murder of 10-month-old Saanvi Venna. (Photo Pete Bannan)

(Updated at 5:03 p.m.) UPPER MERION — A man described by authorities as a friend of the family is in Montgomery County Prison this weekend facing murder charges for the alleged killing of a 10-month-old baby and her grandmother in a botched kidnapping for ransom scheme.

Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, of King of Prussia, was arraigned on two counts each of first- and second-degree murder in front of District Judge James Gallagher in Bridgeport on Friday. He is being held without bail and did not have a lawyer to represent him Friday, according to the Associated Press.

Along with the murder charges, Yandamuri is also facing kidnapping, robbery, abuse of a corpse and theft in connection with the murder of 10-month-old Saanvi Venna and her grandmother, Satayvathi Venna, 61.

Authorities say that Yandamuri murdered the baby and her grandmother during an attempt to get $50,000 ransom for the child that began Monday.

Advertisement

On Monday, officials announced an Amber Alert for the missing child. Over the next few days police and the public launched an intense search for the missing baby. The grandmother was found dead inside her son’s apartment at the Marquis Apartments at 251 West Dekalb Pike in King of Prussia. She died of cuts to her neck and chest, Montgomery County Coroner Walter Hofman said Thursday. Hofman ruled the death a homicide.

Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said during the subsequent search for the missing child that Yandamuri attended vigils and printed fliers asking for help in locating the baby.

“This individual had planned to kidnap Saanvi and he was going to hold her for ransom,” Ferman said at a press conference outside the Upper Merion Township police station Friday afternoon.

According to Ferman, investigators found a ransom note inside the apartment. The type-written note read, “shiva your daughter has been kidnapped. If you report this to cops your daughter will be cut into pieces and found dead. If you inform this to anyone you will find your daughter body parts thrown into your apartments. Our prople (sp) are monitoring all your moves all the time your emails & phones are being traced.”

The note goes on to tell the parents that if they want their child back to them they must pay $50,000 by the end of the day.

The letter ends by saying the baby is “starving since morning.”

According to Ferman, Yandamuri went to the apartment Monday to kidnap the girl and in the process murdered the grandmother, who was trying to prevent the kidnapping. Ferman said no one else was involved in the kidnapping plot.

Yandamuri led investigators to the girl’s body, according to Ferman. He told investigators he stuffed a handkerchief into the girl’s mouth and wrapped a towel around her head before putting her in a suitcase as part of the kidnapping, she said.

The body of the child was found early Friday morning under a bench in a sauna or bathroom area in the basement of one of the buildings in the Marquis apartment complex, according to a report by the Associated Press. An autopsy was being conducted on the girl.

Ferman said there was no indication Yandamuri knew the family before they arrived in the area.

Saanvi’s parents immigrated to the United States from India in February 2007 and moved to the Upper Merion apartment in June 2012.

The grandmother had been visiting from India and was scheduled to return home in January 2013.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(Updated at 4:06 p.m.) KING OF PRUSSIA (AP) — Authorities recovered the body of a 10-month-old girl not far from where her grandmother was slain and arrested a family friend who investigators said killed them in a botched ransom kidnapping.

Saanvi Venna’s body was found around 4:30 a.m. Friday in the basement of a building in the same Upper Merion Township apartment complex where she lived. Investigators had been searching for her since Monday.

The family friend killed 61-year-old Satyavathi Venna while trying to abduct the girl, whom he planned to hold for ransom, Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman said.

“The grandmother died trying to save her granddaughter’s life, trying to prevent her from being taken,” Ferman said.

Ferman identified the suspect as Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26. He lives in the apartment complex and was acquainted with the family as a member of the Indian community.

Yandamuri was being arraigned Friday afternoon. It wasn’t clear if he had an attorney.

Ten copies of a ransom note were left in the apartment. It demanded $50,000 in exchange for the girl’s safe return, Ferman said.

“It was clear it was crafted by someone who knew the family nicknames,” Ferman said.

Yandamuri led investigators to the girl’s body, according to Ferman. He told investigators he stuffed a handkerchief into the girl’s mouth and wrapped a towel around her head before putting her in a suitcase as part of the kidnapping, she said.

An autopsy was being conducted on the girl. Ferman said her body had been found under a bench in a sauna or bathroom area.

Upper Merion Township police say the girl’s father and mother moved to the U.S. from India in February 2007 and into the apartment in June.

Ferman said there was no indication Yandamuri knew the family before they arrived in the area. He had participated in a candlelight vigil held for the missing girl and distributed fliers about her, Ferman said.

The grandmother had been visiting from India since July and was scheduled to return home in January. She died of cuts to her neck and chest, a coroner said.

EARLIER VERSION OF THIS STORY

The missing 10-month-old taken from the Marquis Apartments in Upper Merion Monday was found dead, according to the Montgomery County district attorney.

Risa Vetri Ferman announced in a press conference Friday afternoon that a suspect who lived in the Marquis Apartments killed the child’s grandmother, 61-year-old Satyavathi, as she tried to protect her granddaughter Saanvi Venna, 10 months, who was stuffed into a suitcase by her kidnapper. According to Ferman, the suspect took the baby expecting to get ransom for the girl.

Ferman said the suspect, Raghunandan Yandamuri, 26, was a friend of the family who believed they had money.

The suspect reportedly left a note in the apartment when he took the baby, Ferman said. The baby’s body was found in the basement of another building in the apartment complex, Ferman said.

An autopsy is under way.

Yaneadamuri was to be arraigned Friday afternoon on charges of abuse of corpse, robbery, burglary, theft, kidnapping and murder.

— By Mercury staff

Check back here for updates on this story.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

CORRECTION: The name of the suspect was incorrectly spelled in the original version of this story.

Get breaking news alerts on your phone; text PTNEWS to 22700. Standard text messaging and data rates apply. Text STOP to 22700 to end the service, HELP for assistance.